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3.5 AVERAGE
3.5 AVERAGE
Well, hello there Mr. Ryan! I don’t know who I was expecting, but it definitely wasn’t you. I can honestly say I’ve never met a hero who is as big of an ass as Bennett Ryan… where I actually liked that about him. Who knew I’d like that a hero acts like a bastard?!
Our heroine, Chloe Mills, is a hardworking and determined intern at Ryan Media. She has goals and ambitions and is smart as a whip. She’s also forced to put up with Mr. Bennett Ryan, which not an easy task at all. Thankfully, Chloe is quite the pistol and gives it as good as she gets it. Which is saying something because she has to put up with a lot.
Because Bennett Ryan is a dick. A hard ass. He’s demanding and uncompromising. He also has volume control and tonal issues and a penchant for slamming doors. But he is all bark and no bite. Trying to cover up the weakness he has for his sexy assistant. A weakness he doesn’t want and bothers him like a thorn in his side.
Chloe and Bennett make for a combustible combination. They are constantly pushing and prodding and antagonizing one another. So it came as no surprise when, eventually, all that angry tension boiled over. And, oh, it will set your insides to simmering. Bennett makes uptight and irritable look damn sexy. That man can rip my panties anytime.
But even though the chemistry is there between them, it's still all very volatile. Unstable. Neither one wants to be the one to give in or back down. It won't be easy for these two at all. Because, personality clashing aside, there is also the boss/subordinate dynamic. By being with Bennett, Chloe’s putting her career on the line. Is the risk worth the reward?
I loved watching as Chloe and Bennett go from rubbing each other the wrong way, to rubbing each other in all the really good ways. Because these two are hot for each other and it shows. I also enjoyed the fact that even though it had sex, sex, and more sex, there was also humor and heart. Chloe and Bennett had me laughing (oh my god, the things that come out of their mouths!) and, at the end, even a few tears leaked out.
Beautiful Bastard is a hot and heavy and extremely heated romance about two people who can’t stand each other. Chloe and Bennett make angry sex look like ridiculously good sex. I mean, who doesn't like no-holds-barred sex with a guy who knows how to push all your buttons? Especially that magic button down below.
Favorite Quote:
“This flirting is all well and good, but I mean it when I tell you, I cant have you leaving me again. It almost broke me."
My ribs seemed to squeeze all of the air out of my lungs at the thought. "I don't think I could. I don't want to be away from you again either."
"But you need to give me a chance to fix things when I screw up. You know I'm an ass sometimes."
"Sometimes?"
Growling, he whispered, "And I tear lingerie."
I pushed a curl off his forehead, "And hoard it. Don't forget the creepy hoarding.”
-- A Romantic Book Affairs Review.
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It doesn’t matter how many times I read this, but it still slaps every time. I love it so much.
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This is not the most well-written story, greatest character piece or most engaging plot I've ever read but I've read this about 4-5 times now and it just doesn't get old for me. Its a fantasy, of course, and as cliche as it is I love it all the same. I like both Chloe and Bennett, I get a kick out of their hate to love relationship and its always a fun, lighthearted read for me.
Whether other people love it or hate it, its one of my favourites.
If you're looking for plenty of hot (dare I say filthy!) sex scenes, this is a great read!
I mean, it's a pretty typical plotline for a romance: hot intern and hot boss start sleeping together, and what will this mean for her future career? And can this ever become something more?
Spoiler
So the sex is steamy, though if you want slow seduction with dreamy gentle guy then this is not it: the intercourse is down and dirty and rough. And frequent.
Though the characters have a lot of fire and sass, there's really not much more shown to develop them, which worked for this book, but would have been nice to see. Also, I liked that they both knew their affair could ruin Chloe's career (it wasn't a huge shock to Ben). I was a little bummed that the reason she left him seemed to be that she didn't have his approval? Because she seemed in every respect to be able to stand up for herself until that point.
Also, of course it's a HEA ending but it was pretty rushed. I would have actually been kind of upset for my old boss/lover to disrupt my final presentation to change everything up, even though it was the better presentation that really showcased the work. But Chloe doesn't get upset. Plus they agree to give their relationship a try but all the concerns about how other people will view her (whoring her way up the ladder) and what this will do to her career just go out the window at the end. Yeah, she doesn't need to worry about her career because she will be working for her lover! So the ending was rushed and it was a let down for me about these slight feminist sort of things.
Also, I heard Christina and Lauren on BookHype podcast, and they were really charming and that's how I got this book recommendation. Will be getting more of their work asap!
This was the second book I read and it was right after I read Lauren’s “Josh and Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating”, which is more my cup of tea.
All that said, though, this book wasn't BAD. I finished it. I even enjoyed it. I found it utterly ridiculous, but it served the purpose of escapism, which is why I read most anything, so I can't really take the star rating down TOO far.
